Wattpad Interviews

@HannahPatrixia

HannahPatrixia is a fantastic writer on Wattpad who has written books such as 'Sickly Sweet' which has 378k reads! It was great to interview her, and here is what she had to say!

Why did you start writing on Wattpad?

I started writing because I've always been a daydreamer. My mind would create little fantasies and stories to satisfy my need to escape reality and boredom. When you have nothing to do, your mind tends to wander to the most interesting places. I didn't like writing in school, in fact, it was one of my weakest skills. I gradually came to love writing as I read books on Wattpad and I took it upon myself to learn more about writing novels, short stories, and poems. I got inspired and started writing.

Which of the characters you've created has been your favourite and why?

Saphira from my vampire novel, Sickly Sweet. She's by far my favorite character. She has grown so much since I first wrote her name. I connect with her on a completely different level - as if she actually lives in my mind as my alter ego. It may be because I have injected a part of me in her character too. When I write her story, it's like I'm writing an alternative universe of mine. She has evolved from the closed-off creature with no regard to a caring one who has learned to value life. I wish could be her, she's my idol.

What's been your proudest moment on Wattpad?

Ah, that would have to be the moment I uploaded the last chapter of Sickly, Sweet. I never thought I would be able to finish an entire book because I have so many half-finished stories. I've also had little bursts of happiness and excitement. I did reach #3 in the Vampire Hotlist but I'm still waiting to see what happens at this point.  I do love it when readers would comment how creative my plots twists can be and how my words can strike their hearts as if they are in the story. As a writer, it makes you feel good that people are reading and enjoying it.

Where do you see your account in six months?

At this point, I'd like to see it reach more people as I write more stories. I want to challenge myself by finishing another book and continuing those I have started. I have a lot of stagnant works and drafts waiting to be finished. Hopefully, by then, I'll have a more active account that an cater to multiple genres and audiences. It's hard to balance everything when you have reality constantly knocking at your door, but I'd like to see a continuous amount of readers flow into my account to read my books.

What's the hardest part about writing on Wattpad?

Receiving critiques is always hard. I know it's all for our improvement but and they are constructive but as humans, we can't ever expect everything to be perfect. It will hurt when you receive negativity because it's something you worked hard on. What's even more nervewracking is the part where you have to wait to receive feedback - when you don't know if it's good enough. I love getting feedback but it's not easy.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I get inspiration from everything. I get random inspiration throughout the day but I mostly get it when I'm alone when I can think without distractions and without any judgments. Music, movies and art help inspire creativity in worldbuilding and plot construction. People around me inspire my characters. Sometimes I just start writing random things and it comes out without making itself known beforehand.

And finally, what advice would you give to a new writer on Wattpad?

I'd like to share a quote from a book I read called The Mindful Writer by Dinty Moore. He advises, "It is important to not become too attached to your opening chapter or opening page. Don't let yourself become stuck reworking the opening sentence for six hours before you allow yourself to move on to the rest of what you are writing. That opening sentence may not even be there in the end." I wish I can quote his entire book because it's just oh, so good and helpful. I wish I read this when I first started writing too because I have spent countless hours writing one sentence or paragraph to only end up omitting it.

Another thing would be to become active. You're never going to get anywhere if you update once a month and as much as possible respond to comments. It's important to connectw ith your readers as much as you are invested in your own characters. That's a mistake I wish I could take back because it got me nowhere. I've been on Wattpad for years and I just received popularity in the past few months. Original stories are the best but hardest to come by so make sure you are able to capture the attention of the right people.

As Dinty also said, "Write with a passionate heart and edit with a calm brain." Just write. Write your heart out, edit and then test the waters. If it doesn't fit your liking, change it. That's the beauty of having such a free and lively community of writers. It's going to be stressful when you don't reach your expectations or when you don't get that spot on the hotlist but don't let that rule your life. Just have fun because it's going to take some time.

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That was my lovely interview with HannahPatrixia !

Comment who you'd like to see interviewed next!